My Beautiful Children
by roses for marianne
Summary: It's been over three years since Anakin became Darth Vader. He thinks of his mother and wishes to visit her grave on Tatooine. Luke is three and a half years old and living with his extended family on Anchorhead. What happens when Anakin Skywalker finds out that he has more to live for. Will his children warm his cold blackened heart?
1. Sorrowful Regret

Shmi Skywalker.

Darth Vader nearly choked on the name nearly every time he wanted to say the name.

Her name.

Looking back at it all, Vader felt a little guilty thinking about it.

She had sacrificed her life to give her son the life he deserved. A life free from the slavers and hardships on Tatooine. Granted, he didn't exactly enjoy all of the Jedi lifestyle (e.g. no marriage), but he was happier as a Jedi than a slave. And yet, he didn't sense a trace of regret or sadness in his mother. He knew that she had wanted him to be happy and happily gave her own happiness for her son's.

Whenever he said her name, he would magically transform back into Anakin Skywalker, even just for a little bit. He would look down in sadness as Anakin Skywalker and cry a single tear as Anakin Skywalker.

Toughened by the war and his training as a Sith, he had a few weak spots.

They were Padme, his beloved wife whom he wrongfully murdered. His unborn child, whom he felt great remorse for. And his deceased mother. These are all the people who could strike a tear from the supposedly mighty Darth Vader.

It had been a while since he had paid his mother's grave a visit, so he decided to go now since he couldn't see why not.

His Master, Darth Sidious, or more well known as Emperor Palpatine, never denied Vader if he ever wanted to go someplace to prevent weakening their bond.

"Yes, of course. Someone will prepare your flight right away, Lord Vader. Would you like company? Because a couple of the Stormtroopers can accompany you to make sure everyone is in line, but of course, you probably won't need their help." Vader shook his head.

"I will not need any assistance nor will I want any company. I will go there alone."

"Enjoy your visit Lord Vader."

With that, Darth Vader turned away, his black cape rustling from side to side with every footstep. He disappeared, leaving Palpatine with a dark expression on his face.


	2. a Dreadful Shadow in the Skies

"Luke! Luke Skywalker!"

Luke peered out from behind the door with a childish and playful smile. He was only three and a half years old.

Luke had the tendency to play hide and seek a lot ever since he learned how to walk. Being only a small child, he wanted attention and hide and seek was the perfect way to get it.

Luke giggled, giving off his hiding spot. His aunt Beru turned around and found him behind a door. She smiled since she knew he liked to play that game and pointed at him and yelled, "I found you!"

"You found me, Aunt Beru." He ran towards her and she lifted him up to hug him. She put him down and Luke looked up at her. "You're really good at seeking, Aunt Beru. Can we play again? Please?" He looked at her with his puppy eyes like he usually did when he wanted something real bad. Beru chuckled, giving in.

It was at that time that C-3PO came in. Ever since the Skywalker twins had been separated, so had the droids. R2-D2 had gone with the Organas and C-3PO had left with the Lars because Obi-Wan felt that Luke, who had taken after his father, should get C-3PO whom his father had rebuilt.

"Excuse me, but may I take a break? I've been working and I say, the heat outside might melt me if I stay out there for too long." Beru looked at Threepio and nodded.

"Sure. Play with Luke here. He's been itching for a playmate."

"Well, thank you very much, but-" Beru cut him off and told him to have fun with Luke before going outside to help her husband.

Threepio turned to Luke.

"Well, Master Luke. What would you like to play?"

"We can play hide and seek! You can be the seeker! Close your eyes and count to ten!" Luke quickly ran off after that. He was never the seeker. He never gave anyone the chance to be the hider because he was convinced he was a great hider.

"Oh, okay! Uh, let's see. One, two, three…"

Outside, Luke's aunt and uncle looked up to the sky with dread and worry on their faces. In the skies, they could see an Imperial shuttle landing.


	3. Frantic Beating Hearts

"Lord Vader. We have arrived at Tatooine. We are now landing in Anchorhead."

"Excellent. You will leave me to my peace and fly back to the Star Destroyer until I tell you otherwise."

"Yes, Lord Vader. As you command."

Once the Imperial shuttle landed, out walked Darth Vader into the familiar heat. He turned on a holoprojector that showed him the direction to the Lars residence. It was not far from where they had landed. It was only half a mile away. The reason Vader wanted the Imperial shuttle to land away from the moisture farm and fly away until told otherwise because he didn't want anyone in the Galactic Empire to be suspicious of him.

At the moisture farm, Owen and Beru had been panicking. They'd known that Vader's mother had been buried on their farm, but they'd never think that he'd visit it. They'd seen the Imperial shuttle land a half mile away from their home and had seen the dark clothed figure exit the shuttle. Owen was panicking because he had removed the headstones to prevent Luke from asking any questions, but now that his father was returning, he thought that maybe Vader would get very angry at him and kill or injure him. Beru was panicking because Luke was still inside playing with C-3PO and they needed to get him away quick. Vader would arrive in less than ten minutes. Beru darted off inside to get Luke away or at the very least, hide him from his approaching father. Owen set off to find Shmi Skywalker's grave and mark it as an attempt to not get hurt or killed by Darth Vader.

"Luke! Luke!"

Beru Lars ran inside as fast as she possibly could to find Threepio in a confused state.

"Where's Luke?!"

"Well, urm-" Beru grabbed Threepio and shook him violently.

"I don't have time for this! Where is he?!"

"He's hiding! I can't find him! He's a very good hi-"

Beru looked around everywhere in a hurry, but she couldn't spot Luke in an instant. She threw her arms down in frustration.

"Ugh! That's fine! He's gotta hide anyways. His father's coming and we can't let him see him."

"Why not?"

"Because his dad is Darth Vader! Do I have to explain every-"

"He's coming! He's coming!" yelled Luke's uncle as he was running inside.

Both Owen and Beru were looking around frantically to see if there was anything that could raise Darth Vader's suspicion. Finally, Owen looked at Threepio and pointed at him.

"Threepio! You gotta hide! He can't see you here!" Owen and Beru pushed C-3PO into their closet as the droid protested.

"But wait! Why can't he?"

Beru shoved Threepio in the corner and looked at him menacingly.

"Do not come out of this closet. Do not make a sound. Do not even move. Stay here or we wil turn you into scrap metal. Got it?"

"Uh, yes." Threepio was very scared right now. Luke was nowhere to be found. His aunt and uncle were threatening to turn him into scrap metal. And Darth Vader was arriving. Everything that could go wrong was going wrong at this very moment

Owen and Beru dusted themselves and tried to appear innocent. Like they hadn't seen him coming. Like they were just doing business.

However, that did not stop them from being afraid when Darth Vader showed up at the door.


	4. False Happiness

"L-Lord Vader. To what may we owe the pleasure of your visit?" They dare not call him by the name of Anakin Skywalker. The Lars tried to act convincing, however, their polite greeting fell on deaf ears. Darth Vader stormed into their home, appearing very angry. He could sense their nervousness from half a mile away.

"I saw something in your land that was interesting. You have removed my mother's gravestone. Why did you do that? Is the Lars family embarrassed of my mother? Or do you think she is not worthy of a gravestone?" He spoke in a harsh tone, yet was not yelling.

"N-no, Lord Vader. Of-of course not. It's just that… we have a son now. He's just a young boy. And we don't want him to ask questions or think of death. We're trying to keep him happy." Owen stuttered as he tried to reason with Luke's father.

"I don't care about that. You'd better get your act straight and put the gravestone back. I will speak to the Emperor and by the time I'm done, there had better be a gravestone marking my mother's gravesite or else. Are we clear?" Owen and Beru nodded, still nervous and quite afraid now.

Darth Vader stormed out of the house and walked to the back to speak with Emperor Palpatine. After he was out of sight, Owen and Beru ran downstairs to a locked storage room where Owen kept the gravestones of the ones that had been buried out in their land. Luckily, he hadn't disposed of them yet or they'd probably meet their death at the hands of Lord Vader. Owen lifted up the stone and Beru helped him. They carried it to the site where the small rock that Owen had placed to mark Shmi Skywalker's gravesite just minutes ago. Owen threw the small stone somewhere else in the sand and replaced it with Shmi's original gravestone. Beru tried to shift the sand so that it would look less like they had dug up Shmi's corpse or planned to. Beru dusted off her hands of sand and stood there, waiting for Darth Vader who was finishing up his conversation with the Emperor, it sounded like. They'd been so relieved that the gravestone was put back in place that they hadn't thought of going back into the house to look again for Luke.

Darth Vader came around to the gravesite of his mother, ready to kill his step-siblings if they'd not put his mother's gravestone back. They did however and Darth Vader released his anger. He stood in front of his mother's grave, in front of Owen and Beru. He did not make eye contact with them as he spoke, but continued to look at his mother's gravestone.

"I trust that you will let my mother's stone remain here… if you want to live, of course."

"Yes, Lord Vader. We will not make the mistake of removing your mother's gravestone again. We hope that you enjoy your visit."

Meanwhile, in the house, Luke had come out of hiding. It was a long time since he made Threepio seeker and gave up on hiding. It seemed to him that Threepio wanted to play the hider. That was fine with Luke since he was a good hider, he wanted to be a good seeker too. He found the droid in his aunt and uncle's closet hiding in the far right corner. Luke pushed apart the clothes that hung there and proudly announced, "Found you, Threepio!"

Threepio had been startled since he wasn't expecting Luke to find him.

"What're you doing here, Threepio? If you wanted to hide, you coulda just told me."

"Urm, Master Luke, your aunt and uncle made me hide in their closet. They told me to move or make a sound because your father was coming." At the mention of his father, Luke got really excited.

"Really?! My daddy's coming here? I gotta see him!" Luke ran out of the room, turning a deaf ear to Threepio's protests. Threepio sighed and spoke to himself in frustration.

"I was going to tell him that it would be a bad idea… but no one listens to the protocol droid."

Luke ran hurriedly and excited to see his father whom he hadn't seen yet. Luke hadn't heard his aunt or uncle speak a word about his father yet, but he sometimes eavesdropped on their conversations and got a couple information out of it. His daddy liked flying and saving people. His name was Anakin, Luke heard. Anakin Skywalker. Luke couldn't wait to meet his daddy.

At his mother's gravesite, Anakin Skywalker was on his knees, looking at his mother's gravestone with perpetual sorrow.

"I failed you again, Mom. I'm so sorry. I know that this isn't what you would want. I'm sorry. I… wasn't strong enough." A tear came out of Anakin's eye behind his mask after the first sentence. He'd made his step-siblings go on the other side of the house since he didn't want them to see.

At that time, Luke suddenly sprang out of the house. He wore an excited and happy expression with a large smile on his face spreading from ear to ear. He had only heard Darth Vader's name, but never knew what he looked like. His aunt and uncle prevented him from seeing anything that had Vader in it, although he didn't know why.

So when he caught an unfamiliar person wearing all black (he was too big to be Uncle Owen or Aunt Beru), he ran up to them and tapped them on the shoulder.

Anakin was once more full of anger at the person who dared interrupt him or look at him when he was vulnerable. He turned around and saw a child. A child that looked like he could be his twin when Anakin was that age. And he had shockingly familiar blue eyes. Usually when he was in this situation, he would usually injure the person, even if it was a child. But this child just blew away all the anger he had inside of him. Anakin was surprisingly calm. He sighed and stared at the child in calm. He actually sounded calm and happy to see him.

"Hello there. Who might you be?" Luke grinned and answered.

"I'm Luke. I haven't seen you here before. Are you from another planet? What is it like there?" The child asked question after question, but it didn't bother Anakin.

"Well, I was actually born here, Luke. Just like you. But then I got out and visited all kinds of planets."

"Wow! Really? That's so cool! I wanna go on an adventure like you… Um, what's your name?"

"Oh, my name is Anakin. But you can call me Ani." Because why not? He was just a child. Luke gasped for a moment, confusing Anakin. But then he donned an even better grin.

"Oh wow! My daddy's name is Anakin! I'm looking for him. Threepio said that my daddy was coming here. Are you my daddy?"

Anakin's eyes widened a considerable amount behind his mask. Threepio? His old droid? He was here? And his father's name was Anakin? Was he really the father of this child? But Owen and Beru said that they had a child here. Was this the same child?

By that time, Owen and Beru Lars were running to where Anakin and Luke were. They caught up to Luke and started dragging him back into the house as they were stuttering and talking to him at the same time. Anakin stood up.

"Silence!" Owen and Beru immediately shut up and froze. Anakin walked closer to his maybe-son. He crouched down to Luke's level and asked, "What's your last name, Luke?"

Then his step-siblings started to run their mouths again how Luke's last name was Lars and slowly started dragging Luke back again. Anakin stood up again and looked at his step-siblings.

"Shut. Your. Mouth. Whoever talks… doesn't." Owen and Beru started to sweat and eagerly shut their mouths. Anakin crouched down again.

"Only Luke gets to talk now. Again, what's your last name Luke?" As much as Luke's aunt and uncle would like to tell him to answer Lars, they were still held silent because of Anakin's threat. Luke freed himself from his aunt and uncle's grip.

"It's Skywalker. My name is Luke Skywalker, sir."


	5. the Days Behind Us

Complete and utter shock. That's what Luke's answer drove him to.

However, there wasn't a trace of anger, resentment, regret, nor sadness.

There was warmth. The love of his child. The love for his child.

It was love that had forced him to turn to the dark side. Now it was time for the very same thing to return him into the light.

Anakin shocked Owen and Beru by not hurting the child, but picking him up and hugging him.

"So you're a Skywalker. That's wonderful. I'm a Skywalker too."

The Emperor had been lying to him all along. If he truly had killed Padme with his own hands, then his son wouldn't exist. But here he was. In his father's arms.

A gentle smile appeared on Anakin's lips. It was pure bliss. Carrying his child right now. Making him feel protected and loved.

Luke was ecstatic. He had met his father and his father was happy to see him. Then maybe his father could stay here with him forever.

"Yay, Daddy came to visit! Thank you. I was beginning to wonder when you would show up."

"Of course I would show up. It's just that Daddy's been busy. But I'll always visit."

Owen and Beru stopped being shocked and were in awe. Their mouths curved into smiles.

"He really loves his son, doesn't he?"

"Yeah. He does."

Nearby, Obi-Wan had been spying from them. He let complete relief wash over him when Anakin hugged Luke. He hadn't been expecting this. He started to have a few doubts on whether attachment was bad for Jedi or not. Sure, it had been the one to cause all this, but it might be the thing that ends it.

They went inside and Obi-Wan followed them in. Beru went to get Threepio. Owen sat down with Anakin and his son, Luke.

"Oh. Hello, Obi-Wan."

The name instantly made Anakin's head turn to see his former master enter. However, he expected Obi-Wan to not be aware that he had arrived and be alerted. But Obi-Wan came in with a peaceful nature about him. He sat near Owen, Anakin, and Luke, who had gone to play with Threepio and his Aunt Beru.

Anakin almost was a loss for words, but he decided to start with a simple question.

"Hello, Master. How have you been these past years?"

Obi-Wan had expected Anakin to be calm, but he definitely didn't expect his former padawan to call him Master. He'd thought those days had been left behind to rot.

"Please, Anakin. I'm not your Master anymore."

"But you still are. To me. What happened on Mustafar was my fault. I was deceived by Palpatine, whom I thought was my friend. But it turned out I was wrong. He'd told me a lie that I was the one to kill Padme. Yet, here my son is."

"Stop, Anakin. We were all deceived by Palpatine."

"But what matters now is that those days are behind us. Am I right?"

"Yes. Anyways, I've seen better days. I came here on Tatooine to look after your son. I had to take him and his sister away from you because you had turned already."

"Wait… Luke has a sister?" His former Master nodded.

"Her name is Leia. She was adopted by the Organas. But she was originally born as Leia Amidala Skywalker."

"Ah, Bail."

"Yes. He and Breha had been wanting a child, but they couldn't conceive."

"I know this will sound very suspicious, but… May I see her? Please, Master. I want to see my children. Padme's children."

Obi-Wan didn't know if all of it was an act, but since they were his and Padme's children, he couldn't deny him just one look.

"I'll talk to Bail… See what I can do."

"Thank you so much. I owe you, Obi-Wan."

"Think nothing of it."

And with that, Obi-Wan walked out of the house, to communicate with the Organas. Anakin had been left with his son, who was running around playing, obviously happy. Anakin went to go play with his son.


	6. a Sister Revealed

"Do you know what you're saying Obi-Wan?"

"I know it sounds insane, Bail, but Anakin is their father."

"He will hurt them!"

"He hasn't hurt Luke yet. In fact, he seems happier with his son."

"It's too risky."

"Even if Anakin tries to hurt them, I will stop him. I defeated him before, so I'll be able to defeat him now."

"We don't know, Obi-Wan…"

"Trust me. I have always had the Skywalker twins' best interest in heart."

There was a brief moment of silence before Bail muttered,

"Fine. One visit. That's all he gets. I swear if he hurts them…"

"Have faith in me, old friend."

"We will be there as soon as possible."

"Try to not get blasted by a TIE fighter. The Imperial shuttle that Anakin arrived in was here just several minutes ago. Do not draw attention to yourselves."

"We'll try."

"Thank you. I'm sure Anakin will be thankful as well. See you hopefully soon, Bail."

Obi-Wan turned off his holoprojector and proceeded to walk back into the house.

There he found Anakin hugging his three and a half year old son who was yelling that he'd found him. Obi-Wan's guess was that they had been playing hide and seek. He sat back down near Owen. Luke noticed Obi-Wan come in and immediately gave him his attention.

"Hey, Old Ben! Where'd you go?" Anakin turned to Obi-Wan after hearing Luke's nickname for him.

"Ben? Is that what you're calling yourself now?"

"What did you expect? You were going all Order 66 on Jedi and I didn't want to get killed yet. Obi-Wan isn't a very common name, so if I didn't change my name, you'd know I survived and come for me." Anakin winced at the memory.

"I know, but why 'Ben?'"

"Why not?"

"I guess so."

"Anyways, the Organas will be here. I don't know when they will exactly arrive. They're trying not to get noticed by any of the Imperial aircraft. They must fly carefully."

"I wish them a safe flight."

"As do I, my former padawan." Luke was still in his father's arms and had heard the entire conversation. It made him entirely confused and full of questions.

"What are you guys talking about? What's 'Order 66?' Who's Obi-Wan? What is a padawan? And who are the Organas?"

Anakin and Obi-Wan sighed at his innocence. Anakin, being the father of Luke, decided to answer his questions while trying not to give him too much information.

"Obi-Wan is Ben. Obi-Wan is his real name. The Organas are old friends of ours. 'Padawan' is sort of our lingo for apprentice. And you needn't know about Order 66 now."

But his answers only paved the way for more questions.

"Why would Ben lie to us about his real name? And why shouldn't I know about Order 66?"

Anakin put his son down and ruffled his hair.

"Now, now. Those are too many questions for one day. I will answer them one day, when you get older. But now, it's not time to ask a lot of questions now. Your sister is coming here with the Organas."

Luke could've asked more questions like, "Why is my sister with the Organas?" but he was too busy dwelling on the fact that he had a sister.

"I have a sister?!" His father nodded and told him that she was his twin sister and younger by him by mere minutes.

"Oh yay! I have a little sister! I have a little sister. I have a little sister…" Luke pranced around in circles in glee. But then he stopped and tilted his head up to look at his father.

"Where has she been? How come she's only visiting now?" Anakin ruffled his son's hair again.

"I told you. No more questions for now. Aren't you excited to see your sister?"

"Yeah, I am. You bet! But don't think I'll forget about this." Luke ran off to see his aunt. Anakin watched him all the way. After Luke disappeared from his sight, he turned to his former Master, who was taking a seat by Owen. He held Obi-Wan's gaze for a few seconds before being interrupted by a very familiar droid.

"Threepio."

Had Anakin turned around a few moments later, he'd knock right into the droid, spilling and shattering the glasses of water on the tray he had on his hands.

"Ah, Master Anakin. It is so good to see you again after quite some time. Ah, excuse me for a moment, please. I was told to offer water. Would you like some?"

"No thank you, Threepio."

With that answer, the droid went over to where Obi-Wan and Owen were, offering them food. Anakin was busy thinking about his daughter. What she'd look like. She would probably be very similar to Padme. That thought gave him hope. That he could at least see Padme's face again through Leia, even if they wouldn't be the exact same.


	7. Tiring Trip

Bail rushed his wife, Breha, R2-D2, and his adopted three year old daughter, Leia, into one of the ship's escape pod. Fortunately, before coming close to Tatooine, they remained out of the sight of any Imperial ships, but their luck ran out once they were close to Tatooine. They were surrounded by many, many TIE fighters. On a normal day, they probably wouldn't be bothered by so many TIE fighters going to Tatooine, but Darth Vader had landed on the planet, so TIE fighters would probably be around.

The escape pod the Organas were in took off towards Tatooine. Artoo deactivated the distress signal to prevent giving away their location to the Imperial ships. They landed a few miles near Mos Eisley. Bail contacted Obi-Wan almost right away.

"Bail. Have you landed already? Did you come across any trouble?"

"Yes, we did. We had to take an escape pod. TIE fighters surrounded our ship, so we had to leave."

"I told to not to get blasted by TIE fighters."

"I said I would try."

"Well, where did you land?"

"I don't know. I can see a city over there."

"Go to it and ask what city it is. We'll come and get you."

"Thanks Obi-Wan. We need to get Leia somewhere safe."

"I understand. Please hold on."

Bail nodded and turned off his holoprojector. He signaled to his family and Artoo to continue on.

"Come on. We need to walk over to that city. Let's go. Come Leia."

Leia slowly walked over to her adoptive father and reached out for his hand. Bail took her small hand in his and started walking his family over to the city. After a mile, Leia complained about how tired she was, so Bail put her on his back and started carrying her piggy back style.

"Hang on."

Bail piggybacked Leia all the way to the city, his wife and Artoo trailing behind. He immediately put Leia back down and took a break after reaching the city entrance. Once Bail caught his breath, he spoke to the first person that looked friendly. Turned out that the city they were in was Mos Eisley, which was perfect for them. Bail and his family hid in an open abandoned building so he could contact Obi-Wan. Obviously, talking with a Jedi would look pretty suspicious to a stormtrooper.

"Obi-Wan!"

"Did you find out what city you're in?"

"Mos Eisley."

"We'll be there in a moment. Keep a low profile and wait for me in front of Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina."

"Okay. We'll try to be there as soon as we can."

"Just a little more."

Bail turned his holoprojector off and told his family to keep their heads down so to not show people their faces. Surely, some people would recognise them. He gripped Leia's hand tight and told Breha to take the other. They left the abandoned building and headed for the Cantina. Luckily, they were in the New Quarter of Mos Eisley, so it wouldn't be a long trip.

They were there in no time at all, but now they had to wait. They waited near the Cantina, keeping an eye out for Obi-Wan and keeping a low profile. They waited for a long while, playing games to try and keep Leia entertained.

Finally, Obi-Wan arrived with the Lars's landspeeder. Bail immediately signaled his family to go over there once he saw his old friend.

"You were taking your time, weren't you?"

"Hey, at least I made it!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Bail sat in the passenger seat while Breha, Leia, and Artoo sat in the back. They spent the entire trip from Mos Eisley to Anchorhead relaxing after that stressful trip.


	8. the Skywalkers

Obi-Wan drove back to the Lars residence with the Organa family. Once they arrived, he stopped and went back into the house to tell his former padawan that Bail and his family were already here… along with his daughter, Leia. Once he came inside the house, he immediately spotted Anakin. He was carrying Luke, who had previously ran into him for some reason. Luke was obviously having fun with his dad. It was still a bit… odd… seeing Anakin like this with his Darth Vader suit on. Anakin and Luke spotted Obi-Wan and Luke immediately called out to him.

"Hey Ben! Where'd you been?"

"I just had to pick up your sister from Mos Eisley."

"She's here?!"

Obi-Wan nodded and replied, "And she's eager to see you, Luke. She's right outside."

"Oh yay! Will you get her please?" Anakin put his son down.

"I will. Hold your horses."

But when Obi-Wan turned around, the Organa family had already come in.

"I don't need to anymore. They're already here."

Bail passed Leia to Obi-Wan, who took her hand to walk her over to where her brother and father was. Owen sat Bail and Breha down. Threepio, upon seeing Artoo, put the tray he was carrying down and rushed on over to him. Artoo did the same, only slower.

"Ah, Artoo. It's so good to see you again, old friend." The two droids chatted while Obi-Wan showed Leia to her brother and father.

"Leia, this is your older twin, Luke. Luke, this is your younger twin, Leia." Luke spoke first.

"Whoa! She's my twin? I thought that she was only my sister."

"You're my twin? Daddy never told me this before." Obi-Wan coughed and showed Leia her father, who still donned his dark suit.

"Actually, Leia… This… is your father. Your real father." Darth Vader's mask disguised Anakin's joyful expression well. Leia took a step back.

"What do you mean, 'my real daddy?' Then who's that daddy over there?"

"Oh, your real daddy couldn't take care of you for a while, so they gave you to a person who could take care of you and love you. It was for the best."

"Oh. But Daddy looks so scary…"

"Oh, uh…" Obi-Wan scratched his head uncomfortably and searched his mind for an answer, but Anakin answered her question for him.

"It's just a costume. There's a really big prize in a contest and I think if I wear this, I might win."

"Oh! But why do you need to wear it now?"

"I got stuck in it. It's really tight, so taking it off is a pain. I hope you don't mind."

"Oh, okay, but can you at least take off your mask?" Luke joined in.

"Yeah, take off the mask! We wanna see what you look like." Anakin crouched down.

"Later, kids. But I will definitely take off the mask for you."

"Aw…" Luke and Leia said at the same time. Luke looked at his sister.

"Hey, do you wanna play a game?"

"Sure. What game do you wanna play?"

"I don't know, but let's play with Daddy!" Luke turned to his father and grabbed his right hand while Leia grabbed the other.

"Play with us, Daddy!"

"Please?"

"Okay, okay…" His children dragged him outside. Obi-Wan, Owen, Beru, Bail, and Breha could only watch in peace and relief as they left the house.


	9. Father Knows Best

"I caught you, Daddy! Now you're it!" Leia's voice echoed in the heat of the desert enthusiastically. Anakin and his children ran and played games while Luke and Leia's guardians spoke business with Obi-Wan.

"But you were the one who pushed those children into our lives, Obi-Wan. Surely, you see how difficult this is. We only had her for three years or so. This is difficult for me and my wife."

"Bail. You are a good friend who took Leia in, but Anakin is her father."

"What about Luke? Does Anakin want him too?"

"I don't know what Anakin wants at the moment, but I am just preparing in case he does want custody of both his children."

"Well… I guess we can all work something out."

"Yes. I appreciate that, Bail."

The twins barged through the front door, running and giggling, their father right behind them. Anakin strolled over to where the others were at and said very seriously in a hushed tone so that his children wouldn't overhear him, "We need to talk. Beru, can you take the kids and put them in another room? Take the droids too. In case they want company."

Beru nodded and went over to do as he said. Bail uttered, "Oh, here we go. Here we go."

When the deed was done, Anakin took a deep breath and re-thought things. What his plan was. Before he could say anything, Owen spoke first.

"So, let me guess… You want the kids, right? Is that what this is about?"

"No. Let me speak." Owen shifted his feet and had his arms crossed.

"It's not that I don't want the children. Of course I want the children. They're Padme's and my children. But… it just seems right now… that the best course of action would be to… leave them in your care. They seem happy with you. And I can't care for them now, you all know that. Not with Palpatine still in control. I mean, where could I take them? I feel like this is best for them. At the moment."

There was silence. Bail started to stutter something, but he stopped. Obi-Wan put his hand on Anakin's shoulder, giving him a silent approval.

"I can't worry about the kids now. I have Palpatine to take down. And it wouldn't do me good to be worrying about my children in the middle of battle. With you guys to take care of them, I won't have any reason to worry."

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes.

"Anakin, we need to talk outside."

With that, Obi-Wan dragged Anakin outside to talk to him privately.

"What are you thinking, Anakin?! You can't take on Palpatine alone. Let me help you."

"No, Obi-Wan. This is my fight and my fight alone."

"You can't be serious! Ugh, this is just like working with you when you were my padawan. Still so stubborn. I almost dread about how Luke will turn out. Or Leia."

Anakin managed a chuckle out of his stone cold mask.

"They are my children after all. I must protect them. If I succeed, I'll finally be able to rest in peace. If I die, you must train them if they choose it. I ask this of you, Obi-Wan."

"Of course, I'll train them. But I won't take no for an answer, Anakin. I am coming with you, whether you like it or not. Yoda can train them."

"Yoda? He's still alive? That old dwarf?"

"Anakin, what did I tell you about making jokes about Yoda? And yes, he's still alive. He's on Dagobah."

"Sorry, Master." Anakin said, reminiscent of the old days. "Then why can't Yoda come with me instead? I apologize for being so stubborn, but I want someone who can tutor my young ones in the ways of the Force if they so choose it and let's face it, Yoda's not getting any younger."

"Well, that is if we can find him in that swamp filled place."

"We will. Don't fret."

"How will we get there?"

"I'll call a ship in and use Force persuasion."

"Alright. This better work."

"I hope so."


	10. Times in Dagobah

"Alright, so me and Ben have to go somewhere important. You two be good, alright?"

"Where are you going, Daddy?"

"Are you going on an adventure?"

"Something like that. You two be good. Hopefully, I won't be away for too long."

"Tell us all about it when you get back!"

"I will. I promise."

Anakin and Obi-Wan said goodbye and left. Luke and Leia were waved their father and Obi-Wan goodbye until they couldn't see them anymore.

"Captain Tavers. This is Vader. I'm calling in."

"Yes, Lord Vader. I will be there as soon as possible."

"I shall be waiting where we landed. Vader out.

Anakin turned off his comlink and looked back at Obi-Wan.

"Our ride will be here soon."

"That's good. I just hope that your pilot will be weak minded enough to be fooled by the old Jedi mind trick."

"Do not worry, Obi-Wan. Stormtroopers, as you found out, are merely clones. I do not believe that they were made to have much intelligence or freewill. Just loyalty."

"Ha. That's a good one. 'Loyalty.'"

"They are loyal to the Emperor. They only feigned alliance with the Jedi."

"I know. I almost died because of them."

"Master, don't bring back such bitter times."

"I apologize. Those clones deserve what's coming for them."

"Agreed."

The Imperial shuttle came for Darth Vader only a half hour after they had spoken. The pilot was confused as though why Lord Vader had a guest with him. Vader entered the shuttle first. He had expected the pilot to ask questions, but it turns out that the pilot was so afraid of asking questions about his lord's new guest that Anakin didn't need to persuade him with the Force on that.

"Our destination shall be Dagobah."

"Y-yes, milord. As you command."

The shuttle landed on Dagobah and Obi-Wan went out of the shuttle first, but Anakin talked to the pilot first.

"And Captain?"

"Yes, Lord Vader?"

"I would like it if you do not leave. It would be much easier to not wait for you to get here."

"Yes, milord."

With that, Anakin left the shuttle, leaving the pilot with fear lingering.

"Obi-Wan, do you know where Master Yoda is around here?"

"It's hard to tell. All I see is murky swamp everywhere."

"I see. We'd better start looking."

"Seems so."

With that, they started trekking into the dank, murky waters of the swamps that filled Dagobah.

They walked on for more than an hour, finding nothing, but swamp. Fortunately, they hadn't come across any one of Dagobah's native fauna yet.

"This continuous walking is getting us nowhere, Anakin. We have to take a break."

"Agreed. Here, I found a good spot." He pointed to a small dry piece of land.

"Good work, Anakin." They sloshed around in their mud-covered shoes until they sat down on the piece of land. "I'm shedding pounds just thinking about the thousands of miles we haven't covered yet."

"I'll make the fire." Anakin chopped off pieces of trees that he found and gathered them onto the piece of land he found. He succeeded in making the fire.

They sat in peace for a while, but Obi-Wan started to hear sounds coming from the water.

"Anakin."

"What?"

"Do you hear that?"

"Now that you mention it, I do. What is that?"

"Anakin."

"What is it?"

"Prepare yourself!"

A dragonsnake suddenly appeared out of the water. Its mouth was aiming for both Obi-Wan and Anakin. Obi-Wan easily dodged the attack, having prepared for it. Anakin dove out of the way in time. He ignited his lightsaber as did Obi-Wan.

"A dragonsnake!"

"Yes. These are far less pleasant than other Dagobah natives. We must take care of this one quickly and carefully. It could signal to other dragonsnakes and we wouldn't want such a mess on our hands."

"Right."

Anakin was more of an offensive position while Obi-Wan was more defensive. If it had been a normal sized creature, they would have attacked together, but since it was a large beast, they needed a strategy, and they had one.

They would wait until the dragonsnake attacked, dodge it, and follow up with an attack of their own. They would switch spots. Sometimes Obi-Wan would dodge and warn Anakin to do the same while he attacked and vice versa. All had been going smoothly, until the dragonsnake did one move to catch them off guard. It lunged at Anakin, who was defending, but instead, at the right time, it spun around to catch Obi-Wan off guard.

Obi-Wan would have been eaten too, but Anakin pushed him out of the way and was swallowed by the beast.

"Anakin!"


	11. a Shot at Redemption

"Anakin! Can you hear me?!" Obi-Wan said frantically, after just witnessing his former padawan get swallowed by a dragonsnake.

"Anakin! Speak to me, Anakin!"

He wasn't getting a response. Obi-Wan was in a state of shock and sorrow. Anakin was dead or so Obi-Wan thought.

"Oh Force! I've lost him." Obi-Wan put his head down in mourning when he heard something faint.

"Not… like… this…"

Obi-Wan immediately perked up when he heard it, thinking it was Anakin.

"Anakin. Anakin, are you there?"

A red lightsaber shot out of the monster's belly. The beast howled in pain before being sliced in half from the inside by Anakin's lightsaber. Anakin slid out of the belly of the dragonsnake, reuniting with Obi-Wan.

"Good move, Anakin. Now we can continue forth."

And, as if on cue, another dragonsnake appeared, shooting out of the water like the last one. Anakin growled angrily, having two children to return to.

"We don't have time for this!"

"Patience. Acting upon anger and in haste will get you injured."

As they prepared to battle another dragonsnake, they heard a familiar voice.

"I have seen enough."

They turned around and saw the self-exiled former Grand Master Jedi, Yoda. Yoda sprang up and killed the beast quickly by impaling its head with his lightsaber.

Anakin and Obi-Wan put their lightsabers away. Obi-Wan walked up to Yoda to speak with him.

"Master Yoda. We've been looking for you."

"Grand Master Jedi, I am no longer. Expecting you, I was."

"Why?"

"Sense the turn, I did."

"What?"

"Young Skywalker's turn from the Dark Side, I sensed."

"You sensed Anakin's turn from the Dark Side through the Force?"

"Yes. Thought I that, young Skywalker would come to see me, once freed from the Dark Side. Right, I was."

Yoda turned his head from Obi-Wan to Anakin.

"Young Skywalker."

Anakin, still donning his Darth Vader suit, bowed to Yoda.

"Master Yoda."

He was a loss for words. He had done Yoda, and many others, great harm and waited for his punishment.

"Young Skywalker. Sense your grief and guilt, I do."

"Yes."

"Hard to miss, it is not. Young Skywalker. Much damage you have caused."

"I know. I didn't make the right decisions. I just kept making the wrong ones."

"Manipulated by Palpatine, you were. Made you vulnerable, Senator Amidala did."

"I know. I shouldn't have broken the Jedi Code. But hear me out, Master. Me and Padme loved each other. And if I was given a chance to choose between the Jedi Order and Padme, I would choose Padme all over again. But I just wish that my children could be given a better future."

"Ah. The younger Skywalkers. A better future, they will be given. But defeat Darth Vader and relinquish him from yourself, you must do first."

"What do you mean by 'defeat Darth Vader?'"

"A hold on you, the Dark Side must no longer have. Go to the place where you turned and confront your past and Dark Side, you must."

"Yes, Master. I will do as you ask. I'll do anything to give my children everything."

"A good father, you are. Reverse damage, you can do."

"Thank you, but where is the place where I must go?"

"Mustafar, I assume."

The planet's name struck a cold chill down Anakin's spine which was quite ironic because Mustafar was a volcanic world.

"I… I see."

Anakin turned around to Obi-Wan.

"Should I drop you off at Anchorhead?" Obi-Wan shook his head.

"No. I'm coming with you."


	12. the Trip Ahead of Them

"Are you insane, Obi-Wan? You know what went down three years ago."

"I don't care. I don't even care if I get flashbacks of that day and it haunts me. I'm coming with you whether you like it or not."

"Fine then. Mustafar it is." Anakin turned back to Yoda.

"What will you do now?"

"Anchorhead, I would like to go to. Protect your younglings, I must."

"It's settled then." Anakin turned on his comlink.

"Captain Tavers. This is Vader."

"Yes, Lord Vader? What is your command?"

"Come look for me. I need your assistance."

"What is it, milord?"

"I need some transportation. I must go somewhere."

"Where, sir?"

"Just come look for me and I'll give you the order!"

"Y-yes, milord."

"Vader out."

Anakin shut off his comlink and told Yoda and Obi-Wan to wait. The captain found him after looking for two hours.

When Tavers landed, it most definitely seemed that Lord Vader wasn't happy with him.

"Please forgive me for taking such a long time, milord. It was hard to find you in the thick fog." Vader went inside of the shuttle, storming in.

"Don't waste your breath, Tavers. I do not want to hear excuses."

"Y-yes, Lord Vader." Tavers was extremely afraid. He wondered if Vader would punish him and if so, what that punishment would be. Then he spotted Vader's newest guest who he definitely knew.

"Yoda? A Jedi? Lord Vader, why do you have this Jedi with you? Do you wish to take him to the Emperor? If so, I'll contact the Emperor right-" Vader Force choked Tavers and felt like this time Force persuasion would be necessary. When Tavers got up, Vader was already ready to persuade him.

"These two aren't Jedi."

"Those two aren't Jedi."

"You will take us anywhere we want to go and without any questions."

"I will take you anywhere you want to go and will not ask any questions."

"Good. You'd better not report to anyone, especially the Emperor about any of this, because if… you… do…"

"I will not report to anyone about this."

Anakin stopped Force persuading him and motioned Obi-Wan and Yoda to come inside of the shuttle.

"Anchorhead, please. Land near the Lars's moisture farm."

"As you command."

When all three of them went in, Tavers drove off, heading back to Tatooine. They landed near the Lar's residence. Yoda began to walk away. Anakin watched Yoda walk to the house, but Yoda stopped right outside the shuttle and said to Anakin,

"Wish you luck, I do. May the Force be with you." Anakin bowed.

"And also with you. Thank you."

Yoda turned back away and he left. Anakin walked over to the pilot.

"Mustafar is our next destination."

Tavers nodded and Anakin sat back down with Obi-Wan.

Due to the silence between them, Obi-Wan guessed that he was thinking about Mustafar. And frankly, he had been thinking quite a lot about Mustafar too.

Anakin's mind was clouded with previous memories such as killing the Separatists after they became useless to Sidious. That was the only thing he'd done that didn't cross his mind twice. But yes, they were Separatists. And they were scum. They'd also caused Anakin and his companions some harm. But Anakin knew they shouldn't have died the way they did.

Then he remembered Padme. Her ship had landed near the place where Anakin had murdered the Separatists in cold blood. He thought that she had betrayed him. That she had brung Obi-Wan to Mustafar to kill him. And then all that he saw in his mind was Padme's beautiful face, twisted into a face of suffering and torture. She'd passed out.

And how could he ever forget that fateful fight on Mustafar between Obi-Wan and himself? How? It had led him into a world of darkness and pain. Literally. He was just glad that it was his master that had won. If Anakin had won the battle on Mustafar, Obi-Wan most likely wouldn't be sitting next to him right at this moment.

All those thoughts made Anakin very tired. He decided to go to sleep. It would be a long trip ahead of them.


	13. an Honorable Duel

Anakin woke up to Obi-Wan's gentle shaking. Obi-Wan opened his mouth to say something, but the pilot beat him to it.

"Lord Vader. We have arrived on Mustafar."

Anakin sat up straight.

"Yes. Thank you. Don't leave without my permission. You will stay here."

"Yes, milord."

Anakin stood up first, then Obi-Wan. They both left the Imperial shuttle. Anakin was hit by a powerful invisible force when he saw the place where they landed. Right in front of the Separatists place which had been partially destroyed and abandoned after Anakin killed all of the Separatists in the place and after Anakin and Obi-Wan fought in a battle with good vs. evil three and a half years ago. And the shuttle landed right where Padme's ship did.

Anakin became irritated and paced around.

"So… what?! Is the Force just mocking me for what happened years ago and bringing me back to nostalgic places? Although, for me, it isn't nostalgic. It's traumatizing."

Obi-Wan walked out.

"Calm yourself. It could just be a mere coincidence."

"Mere coincidence, my ass." Anakin muttered. Obi-Wan held his hand to his ear.

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"Right. Nothing. What am I thinking?"

"I don't know. The Force doesn't allow me to read minds."

"I know. I was just talking to myself."

"Oh, dear Force! Obi-Wan, are you feeling alright?"

"I know you're irritated, Anakin, but there's no reason to be testy."

Anakin playfully scoffed. Obi-Wan actually cracked a smile. For a moment, it seemed like things were normal. Like Anakin and Obi-Wan were back at the temple. But Anakin was brought into harsh reality when he remembered that he had a job to do. He stared intensely at the things in front of him. He stood, prepared to do something serious, for a while, but then he loosened up and asked Obi-Wan,

"What am I supposed to do again?" Obi-Wan sighed.

"You're supposed to rid the Dark Side from yourself."

"And how in the Force am I supposed to do that?"

"...I don't know." There was an awkward silence.

"Then why are you here if you don't know how to 'vanquish Darth Vader from myself?!'"

"I don't know! But I decided to come because this is where you and I fought."

"Oh! You decided to come because you felt some kind of 'nostalgic' feeling in this place?"

"...I don't know."

"Don't, 'I don't know.' me!"

"I'm sorry!" Anakin facepalmed.

"Oh Force. We look like two idiots just standing here."

"Yoda didn't tell me anything."

"Oh, that's a surprise. Did he really not tell you anything or did you just not understand because he's always talking in riddles? 'Young Skywalker, go to Mustafar you must.'" Vader attempted to imitate Yoda's voice, but failed horribly.

"He didn't tell me anything. And yes, although I do agree he talks in a rather unusual way, I don't think we should talk about Master Yoda in that way."

"Right. Right. So what are we supposed to do now? Do we go back to Tatooine and demand an answer from Yoda or do we just stand around here, looking like idiots, until something happens?"

Obi-Wan seemed to be thinking deeply.

"I think I have something."

"What is it?"

"We can fight. Like we did before."

"Wow. You really are insane. I don't want to fight you! I might actually win this time!"

"So? You won't kill me, right?"

"Accidents are out of my control."

"'Accidents.' Right."

"I will try to not let anything happen to you, Master, but I can't promise anything."

"Fine. Let's do it already and be done with it." He ignited his lightsaber. Anakin pointed to it.

"Give me your lightsaber then."

"What? Why?"

"I don't want the red one that I have."

"So?"

"So… Give me your lightsaber. I want a blue one. Just like the one on Mustafar. Hey, it was your idea."

"I'm not giving you my lightsaber. A lightsaber is-"

"-a Jedi's life. I know. I know. You told me a million times. And yet we always end up having to get a new one. Just give me your lightsaber."

Obi-Wan sighed and Anakin thought he was actually going to give him his blue lightsaber. But instead, Obi-Wan took out a familiar looking one out of his robe and threw it at Anakin, who caught it. Anakin recognised it. It was his. Obi-Wan must've taken it before he was planted into the black suit.

"Why do you have this?" Anakin shook his head. "Nevermind that. Let's duel already. The heat and the temperature of this planet are inconveniencing me." With that, Anakin ignited his old lightsaber.

"And Obi-Wan?"

"Hm?"

"Even if I lose again a second time, I will still consider you my Master." Obi-Wan smiled.

"Thank you."


	14. the Right Choice

**A/N:**** Sorry if there are some errors or mistakes on the chapters. I have a busy schedule and don't have time to do all this editing crap. I already have a job doing that. Sorry if you don't think I put much details in the fights. I'm not good with fight scenes.**

Once their lightsabers collided, both Obi-Wan's face and Anakin's mask were illuminated in the bright blue light. They agreed to fight with the same ferocity that they had when they last fought on the planet, but with much better intentions. They were not intending to hurt, harm, nor even to dispatch each other, but they were fighting because they felt like it was the only thing that they could think of that could rid Anakin Skywalker of the looming darkness inside of him that had always followed him around, even when he was a Jedi. But when he was a Jedi, he had much better control of it… sometimes.

And when they agreed to fight with ferocity, they were not kidding. Anakin had learned more experience in lightsaber battling from his training with the Emperor that he was using against Obi-Wan, who was trying to adapt to Anakin's new moves.

The duel continued on for more than fifteen minutes. They moved around the place around the nearly destroyed Separatist base, but even though they both wanted to avoid it to avoid the risk of the entire building collapsing on them, the heat of the battle blinded them and they went in anyway. The Separatists that Anakin had killed long ago had already been removed.

Throughout the battle, Anakin's mind was flowing with self-doubt, a hint of hatred, and questions. He'd realized that they had gone into the Separatist base and wanted to stop and tell his Master, but the hatred he still kept within him kept him from doing so. However, they didn't cross the bridge. Obi-Wan fell from the edge of the bridge and was going to fall into the lava. Into his death. If Anakin hadn't grabbed his hand.

Anakin had his Master's hand in his tight grip, saving him. This was like the thing with Mace Windu and the Chancellor again. But there was a war going inside of him. The darkness that lingered in him told him to let go. To take revenge and see how Obi-Wan liked the lava that Anakin almost died in. But the majority of him, the light, told him to rescue Obi-Wan and forget and forgive. Even though the light outnumbered the darkness, the darkness was still putting up a pretty good fight.

In Anakin's mind, he was frantically wondering what he should do. Should he save Obi-Wan and forget what happened three and a half years ago like he should? Or should he just give into the darkness and let go? To let Obi-Wan suffer what he suffered?

Even though Obi-Wan couldn't see behind the cold, black mask, he could still sense his conflict. It was pretty hard not to. Obi-Wan thought and came up with something. He looked up to Anakin with seriousness in his eyes.

"Anakin."

Anakin was pushed out of his thoughts and concentrated on Obi-Wan.

"What?"

"Before you choose my fate, tell me what your children would say if they were here right now."

That was easy. He guessed that they would scream, "Please don't kill Ben, Daddy! Save him!" at the very top of their lungs and try to lift Obi-Wan up. But they were children. Of course that would be what they'd say. ...But they were his children. Anakin sighed and relinquished the remaining Dark Side from him and pulled his Master up with all his strength. Obi-Wan was saved and he could no longer see any darkness inside Anakin at all.

Obi-Wan smiled so happily at Anakin, proud of his padawan. He patted Anakin's shoulder and said, "Good choice, Anakin. Good choice. And thank you."

Anakin smiled in return, even though Obi-Wan couldn't see it. "Don't thank me. Thank my kids."

"Of course. I'll say thanks to the little tykes when we get back to Anchorhead."

"Let's go back to Tatooine."

And with that, Anakin and Obi-Wan returned to the Imperial shuttle, not caring for a moment that the Empire still existed because the most difficult task had been done.


	15. the Regenerator

The two men stood just outside the shuttle, talking.

"Do you think Palpatine will suspect anything?"

"I don't think so. He respected to leave me alone. Maybe if I'm gone for a day or so, maybe they'll get suspicious because I usually don't just disappear for a whole day."

"Be weary. The Emperor mustn't know of the children."

"I won't let him. The day he decides to threaten even one of them is the day he dies." Anakin said it with severe sincerity, making it sound like a vow.

Obi-Wan was a little worried about the sincerity in his voice, but he knew that he was only trying to protect his children. He understood. And he took a real look at Anakin.

"Anakin, if I may ask… What will you do about that suit? Do you need it to survive? Did our fight on Mustafar years ago handicap you that much?" But he knew that he was the one that left Anakin to die.

"Yes. My lungs were weakened and so now I have this built in respirator in the suit that will help me survive."

"Really? Well, if I would've known that you would've changed your ways after meeting your children, I would've saved you after the battle. I'm sorry. But I have heard of some kind of treatment for your situation. It's kind of like a regenerator. I've read about it, but there were little information that I could dig up because it's so ancient."

"Is there such a thing? Tell me more."

"It's not much, but here I go. A story tells of an ancient war that supposedly happened before the Jedi Order even existed. It may have been the time when Yoda's Master lived."

"Wow, that's old. Compared to his Master, Yoda only seems like he's just going through his mid-life crisis.."

"I said, no more Yoda jokes! Anyways, the side who had started the war eventually became overpowered by the other and thought of a gift to give in order to stop the fight that they could not finish. They knew the other side's leader was past his prime, about 200 years old, so they built a regenerator and gave it to the other side. The war was stopped and the leader slept in the regenerator. But he slept in there for more than a hundred years! When he awoke, he had his young body back, but everyone that he loved, who couldn't live to his age, had died. His army was dead and the other side had ruled for about that time."

"That's probably the worst thing that can happen to a man. Outlive your loved ones."

"Yeah…"

"But wait! If we get the regenerator, how long will I stay in there?"

"I haven't a clue actually."

"You're not contributing, Obi-Wan!"

"Maybe about three years, give or take. Before you lost your limbs."

"That doesn't seem so bad. My kids won't be grown up and I can still raise them."

"...Or maybe before you got your arm cut off by Dooku."

"Can I at least choose the number of years I stay in the regenerator?"

"I don't think that man could."

"Sithspit!"

"What do you think?"

"I'll pass, thank you. I don't want to neglect them anymore. I just want to raise them myself! Like it should have been."

"Do you really want to stay in that suit?"

"No… but I can't neglect them anymore."

"I understand. I love your children."

"Yes."

Anakin walked to the pilot and gave him his instructions.

"Take us back to Anchorhead."

"Yes, Lord Vader."

Anakin motioned for Obi-Wan to come in. When they were both situated in the shuttle, the shuttle took off for Tatooine.


	16. a New Hope

**A/N: The reason why Yoda said Luke instead of Anakin is because he guessed Anakin would be too busy trying to raise his children and protect them.**

After they landed on the desert planet of Tatooine, Anakin told the pilot to leave and gave him an extra layer of Force persuasion for him to not report today's events to anyone.

Once he stepped foot in the Lars's home, Luke and Leia ran up to him and clung themselves to him. Anakin found Yoda sitting on a stool. Anakin went over to him to thank him for watching over his children.

"Thanks for watching them. I hope they haven't been a handful." His message got to Yoda despite that both Luke and Leia were both talking. Asking him questions about his journey or so.

"No problem at all, they were. Reminded me of the Jedi younglings, they did." He said this with a smile.

Anakin smiled in return and went back in front of the children's guardians and put them down. They continued to talk excessively.

"Daddy, how was your trip?"

"Tell us about it!"

"Master Yoda's very good at games!"

"Very, very good!"

He motioned for them to quiet down, which they did.

"One question at a time." Luke was first.

"So where did you go, Daddy?"

"I actually went to two planets."

"Whoa!"

"One was a swampy place called Dagobah. The other was a very dangerous place called Mustafar."

"Where you hurt Daddy?" Leia asked with a very concerned tone in her voice. Luke looked just as concerned.

"No. I was okay." The twins sighed in relief. Leia was the next to ask questions.

"What did you do there?"

"I fought a giant dragonsnake on Dagobah and saved Ben on Mustafar."

Luke and Leia were both amazed by this. They talked to each other about their father's adventure and how brave he was. Yoda thought that it was a good opportunity to speak with Skywalker in private. He motioned to Anakin to come to him.

Anakin walked to Yoda and waited to listen to what he had to say.

"Talk in private, we should. Discuss about Skywalker twins, we need to. Bring Kenobi."

Anakin nodded and got Obi-Wan. Then the three Jedi went into a room, Luke's room to be exact, and spoke in private.

"What is it, Master Yoda?" Obi-Wan asked.

"A powerful connection to the Force and to each other, the twins have. Especially young Luke."

"What about my son?"

"Unrivaled, his connection to the Force may be."

"Even more powerful than yours?"

"Yes, young Kenobi."

Anakin was silent about this. Both Yoda and Obi-Wan noticed this.

"What is it, Anakin? What are your thoughts?"

"I haven't a clue. But, Master Yoda, will you have him trained like a Jedi youngling?"

"Yes. My best, I shall do. Re-establish the Jedi Order, he is able to."

"But first, we need to take down Palpatine."

"Yes, trouble, Palpatine is."

"I already have a plan, Obi-Wan. Me and Yoda will go. You stay here and take care of my kids."

"Why don't you stay instead, Anakin?"

"What?!"

"Master Yoda and I can do this. Anakin, you told me that you didn't want to neglect them anymore, so why don't you stay? You'll be able to live and stay with them."

"But…"

"Right, young Kenobi may be. Yet, the Prophecy, there is."

"What about the Prophecy? I know Anakin is supposed to be the one who destroys the Sith, but he really wants to take care of his children."

"Ah, yes. The younger Skywalkers. If young Skywalker wants to stay, he can."

Anakin opened his mouth to protest, but shut it again. He didn't really have any good reason to go. He could be with his children and Obi-Wan and Yoda could take care of themselves. He nodded.

"Thank you, Master Yoda."

"Unnecessary, a thank you is. Soon, we must go."

"Yes. Anakin, call your shuttle back again. We'll Force persuade him. Oh, and we'd better take Artoo also. He'll help out a lot."

"Alright. I'll go get the pilot now."

Anakin walked out to his son's room, out of the house, and into the desert to contact Tavers.

Back in Luke's room, Obi-Wan began to have second thoughts.

"Master Yoda, just as a precaution. What would we were to do if we were caught?"

Yoda was silent for a second then spoke.

"Then mercy, may the Force have. Not lost, all hope will be. Young Luke Skywalker, we still have. Bring an end to the Empire, I am certain he will."


	17. a Father's Determination

The Imperial shuttle arrived. Anakin, his children, and his children's foster parents both went to say their farewells. Anakin, his children, and the Organas wished them both good luck. The Lars, who weren't really in this whole Jedi business, stayed back, but wished both the Jedi good luck anyways. Owen made a smart remark and said, "Good luck. Oh, and when the Emperor is down, make sure he stays down." Obi-Wan laughed and he and Yoda went off in the Imperial shuttle which was heading to Coruscant, where the Imperial Palace was. Where Emperor Palpatine was.

Anakin and his children kept waving even when the shuttle could no longer be seen in the sky, but stopped after a few minutes. Anakin was very worried about the both of them and hoped that they were successful in their mission to defeat Palpatine and restore the Republic.

His children knew that he was worried because he hadn't left the spot where he said goodbye to Old Ben and Yoda even after Luke and Leia's foster parents went back inside. They tugged on his cape and got his attention. Anakin crouched down to their level.

"What is it, children?"

"Are you worried about Ben and Yoda?" Luke asked. Anakin smiled weakly, but they couldn't see it through his dark mask.

"Yes. Indeed. I am well aware that they can take care of themselves in a battle, but still.."

This time, it was Leia who responded. "Don't worry. They're Jedi! They can do anything!"

"Like you!" Luke added. Anakin figured that Yoda must have told them that they were Jedi.

"I know. Anyways, let's go back inside." Anakin held one of each twins' hands and walked back with them.

Finally in Coruscant, the Imperial shuttle holding two Jedi landed in a secluded area near the Imperial Palace. Obi-Wan knocked out the pilot in order to avoid being discovered and hid him somewhere. Yoda walked out and they took a look at the place. It was grand, giant, and intimidating to those who didn't have much courage.

"What a place. I'm shedding pounds just thinking about the ground we'll have to navigate."

Yoda hit Obi-Wan in the head, but not hard. Obi-Wan put his hand on the place where Yoda hit him and tried to sooth it.

"What did you do that for?"

"Complain, you should not. An important mission, we have."

"Okay. Okay. I won't complain- Master Yoda!"

Both Obi-Wan and Yoda ignited their lightsabers. Obi-Wan was sure there was at least thirty stormtroopers. They were surrounded by them.

"This is not good."

"Your first clue, what was?"

All the stormtroopers had their all blasters directed at the two Jedi in front of them. Even more stormtroopers were arriving. It was clear they were not going to get out of this without a scratch.

"Anakin! Is he and the children okay?"

Obi-Wan was frantic. Surely if they found out about their plan, they would attack the former Darth Vader, his children, the Lars, and the Organas.

And he was right.

Stormtroopers had surrounded the Lars' moisture farm. Luke and Leia were hiding behind the adults that would happily be blasted first. Anakin had his blue lightsaber ignited, but that didn't intimidate the numerous stormtroopers one bit. The children's foster parents had their hands up like the stormtroopers ordered.

"Stormtroopers, you dare, you dare?! I'll take you all on!"

With that, Anakin charged into the sea of Imperial soldiers with fire in his eyes and a determined expression. The other adults had taken the children and rushed them to the other exit.

Anakin would not make it out of that battle completely unscathed.


	18. the Years Flying By

Anakin went back and forth, slashing stormtroopers with his old lightsaber and dodging blaster fire. He went around in a circle, killing stormtroopers left and right. He would have to die for them to get his children, who were protesting as they were hidden in Owen and Beru's room because there was no way to escape. Stormtroopers had well surrounded the place and Anakin was going one-man-army on the stormtroopers and the foster parents were afraid that if they got too close, he could cut them down too.

They heard much noise outside of blasters firing and a lightsaber swinging. It continued for a long while, but just suddenly, it all stopped. There was nothing but silence. Then a sound of a body falling down was heard. Luke and Leia ran out of their foster parents' arms with tears welling up. Both sets of foster parents ran out to follow them and found Anakin severly wounded and lying on the ground and his children were huddled all over him, crying and talking to him frantically.

Then they looked to the entrance. It was filled with stormtrooper corpses and Owen and Beru feared that the smell of death would come.

Bail crouched down to Anakin. Breha was standing up. Bail was shaking him.

"Anakin! Wake up! For your children! Please!"

Luke and Leia started doing the same. They shook him and starting yelling for him to wake up.

Anakin was unconscious. He was in space, but he no longer had the suit. He was Anakin again, before the fight on Mustafar. Before Palpatine twisted and manipulated him to his control. His children were in front of him. Anakin ran to them, but it was like something was pushing him backwards. In front of his eyes, his children grew.

First, they appeared to grow up into ten year olds. Then twelve year olds. Fourteen. Eighteen. Just like that, they reached their twenties. Twenty-one. Twenty-five. Twenty-nine. They reached their thirties, then their forties, and even more after that. They kept looking at him with the same fixated stare. He could see in their eyes that they were growing up and didn't need him anymore. It was killing him silently. Then Leia disappeared. After a few years had passed by him, Luke did too. His children were growing up and dying in front of him. It was a fate worst than death.

Anakin was sobbing. He was all alone in the void. All alone. He stopped when he heard voices. He wondered if they were real and reaching out to him or they were all just in his head, tormenting him by reminding him that they were all gone. He thought the latter first, but the voices continued. He stood up and he was surrounded by light. It was warm.

"Anakin!"

"Dad!"

"Anakin!"

"Daddy!"

Anakin woke up to his children's and their foster parents' sorrowful faces. After he did, they started to smile again. His children hugged him as soon as he got up. Their eyes were red, so he knew that they had been crying.

"Daddy, don't do that again! We thought you were gone!"

Anakin embraced his children and wrapped his arms around them.

"I'm sorry, you guys. I shouldn't have worried you like that." He was speaking to his children's foster parents too.

Bail crouched down.

"Oh, thank the Force you're alive!"

"Yeah. But why did the stormtroops come here of all places? Palpatine… I have to warn Master Yoda and Obi-Wan!"

"Anakin, you very nearly joined the Force. Do you really think that you're in a good condition to fight? Stay here until your wounds have healed. Or else you'll just be adding more wounds to the ones that haven't healed."

"I'm sorry, but I can't! Their lives are at risk!"

"I worry for them too, you know. But I know that the wisest thing to do is stay here with the children!"

Anakin stood up.

"I can't just… leave them! I know very well that they are more than capable of taking care of themselves, but still! I know for a fact that there are many more stormtroopers at the Emperor's Palace in Coruscant than here. There may be two of them, but I must give them assistance."

Bail sighed in annoyance. He knew how stubborn Anakin was.

"Fine. Just stay long enough for me to put some bandages on you."

"Fine. But after that, I have to leave."

"What are you going to take anyways? It's not like you can just call an Imperial shuttle to come take you to Palpatine's Palace. Palpatine already knows of your betrayal." Bail lectured as he began to wrap bandages around Anakin's wounds.

That was a good question. How was Anakin going to get to Coruscant?

"I know."

"What is it? Please, tell me all about your genius plan."

"Chalmun's Cantina."


End file.
